Detachable top lift for lady&#39;s heel with screw fastener



J. A. BOLDT 2,940,186

DETACHABLE TOP LIFT FOR LADY'S HEEL wrm SCREW swam June 14, 1960 7 Filed July 1, 1959 IN VEN TOR. 05k.

.Wll/Il mm W l Juan A. Bold! BY @u a m A mamxrw m DETACHABLE TOP LlFI FOR LADYS HEEL WITH SCREW FASTENER Juan A. Boldt, Ayacucho 1027 B0. P.B., Bnenos Aires, Argentina Filed m 1, 1959,51. No. 824,291

The present invention-generally relates to an improved and novel womans heel construction and more particularly to an improved and novel structural arrangement for providing for removability and replacement of the top lift.

It is quite difiicult to use driven fasteners for holding a top lift on a ladys heel since the cross-sectional area of the heel is quite small and the driven fasteners quite often damage the heel to such an extent that the fasteners are ineffective. There have been recent attempts to provide various types of fasteners and assemblies for permitting removability and replacement of the top lift without employing driven fasteners such as nails or the like. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an arrangement in which the top lift is secured to the heel by a screw fastener assembly and more particularly by a screw fastener which has a nut embedded within the heel in a manner in which the nut is inserted into a vertical passageway and anchored by virtue of outwardly diverging tangs or fingers which engage the side walls of the vertical passage.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heel construction in which the heel is provided with a vertically extending passageway in the lower end thereof which receives a sleeve-like nut having prongs engageable with the side walls of the passage with the nut receiving a screw threaded fastener extending inwardly through an aperture or passage in the top lift with the top lift having a counterbore for permitting the screw head to be disposed above the surface engaging portion of the top lift.

Another important feature of the present invention is to provide a detachable top lift in which the top lift and fastening assembly is extremely simple in operation, easy to assemble, easy to remove, dependable, long lasting and generally inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lady's heel with the top lift attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the mechanism for securing the top lift to the heel and illustrating the structure of the top lift; and

Figure 3 is an exploded group perspective view of the top lift and screw threaded fastener and nut for securing the top lift in position illustrating the relationship of the components.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral generally designates the detachable top lift and fastener assembly of the present invention which is mounted on the lower end 12 of a ladys heel 14 which lower end is of relatively small cross-sectional area. The lower end of the heel 12 is provided with an inwardly extending vertical passageway or bore 16 having at the inner end Patented June 14, 1960 thereof an axial extension bore or passageway 18 of lesser cross-sectional area than the bore or passageway 16. The top lift includes a plate-like member 20 shaped to conform to the shape of the bottom end of the heel 12 and which may be constructed of any of the materials from which top lifts are made such as rubber, leather, plastics and metal. Secured to the plate and preferably of unitary construction therewith is a cylindrical sleeve 22 which is hollow and provided a longitudinal passageway.

:- 22 which extends all of the way through they top lift 20.

The lowerends of the passageway 22 is counterbored as indicated by the numeral Hand is also provided with inclined countersunk portion 26 for receiving the head 28 of ascrew threaded fastener 30. The screw threaded fastener 30 is provided withathreaded-inner end portion designated by the numeral'32 and the head 28 is provided witha trahsverse slot or kerf 34 for receiving a suitable turning instrument such as a screwdriver or the like. Disposed within the bore 16 is a cylindrical sleeve-like nut 36 having internal threads 38 for engagement with the threaded portion 32 of the fastener 30. The upper end of the sleeve 36 is reversely bent and disposed outwardly with the reverse bend being designated by the numeral 40. Depending from the reversely bent portion 40 is a plurality of fingers or tangs 42 which have lower terminal ends flaring slightly outwardly as indicated by the numeral 44 whereby the outwardly flared ends 44 will bight into the walls of the recess 16 thus anchoring the nut 36 within the recess 16 so that the fastening screw 30 may be engaged with the nut for rigidly and detachably holding the top lift 20 in position on the lower end of the heel 12. When the top lift 20 has become worn, it is a very simple matter to remove the screw threaded fastener 30 and replace the top lift and place the screw back in position.

The cylindrical projection or stud 22 extends into the bore 16 and provides rigidity and reinforcement to 'the top lift which alsoprecludes any lateral relative movement between the top lift 20 and the heel 12 which would give a very insecure feeling to the person wearing the shoes.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a detachable top lift for a ladys heel, a retaining nut for receiving a screw threaded fastener for holding the top lift in position, said nut comprising a vertically disposed cylindrical sleeve having an internally threaded longitudinal bore extending therethrough, the upper end of said cylindrical sleeve having a reverse bend, and a plurality of downwardly extending pointed tangs projecting from the reverse bend, said tangs having an outwardly flared lower end for embedment in the walls of a socket in the heel, said tangs being constructed of resilient material whereby the sleeve may be inserted longitudinally into a cylindrical socket within the heel with the pointed ends of the tangs serving to prevent exit movement of the sleeve in relation to the socket.

2. A ladys heel construction comprising a vertically disposed shank having an inwardly extending socket of uniform cross-section extending upwardly from the lower end thereof, a top lift engaging the lower end of the shank, said top lift having an extension projecting into the lower end of the socket to prevent lateral shifting movemm Drum top'lift 1&1 rem-Km -10 the shank, said top lift having a bore iextendnrg "therethrough and -a' countersink in the lower end thereof, a -screw threaded fastener ex tending through the bore Withthe head of the screw threaded-{fastener:reeeived iin'the-eounters'ink in the top 'lfftfia'eylindrical "nut tlisposed in the socket inwardly-of the top of the lift, said'cylindrical nut having downwardly and outwardly flared pointed tangs'of resilient eonstruction mounted thereon which engage the peripheral wall of the -socket to "prevent withdrawal of the nutfrom the socket, the -'resi1ieneyo'f the tangs permitting'the-nut to a'-'screw fhreaded'ffastener extending through thebore with the heeid "of fthe screwithreeded fastener engaging "the I outer surface of the top lithe cylindrical nut disposed in "the socket-inwardly of the lift, "said cylindrical not "having downwardly and outwardly flared pointed tangs of resilient construction mounted thereon which engage the peripheral wall of the socket to prevent withdrawal of the nut from the socket, the resiliency'of the tangs permitting V the nut to be inserted intoitlzeisoeket from the lower end thereof thereby .facilitating the assembly loi'uthenut into the-socket. 2. 2 2 a 7 Reierenceg-GitedinehefihpfJhis etenp I UNITED STATES PATENTS 

